Traditional cellular Radio Access Networks (RAN) consist of many stand-alone base transceiver stations (BTS). Each BTS may cover a small area and a group of BTS may together provide coverage over a larger continuous area. Each BTS may forward payload data received from mobile terminals, via a backhaul link or network, to a core network of the cellular communications network.
More recently, Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) architectures have been introduced for cellular networks. A C-RAN architecture may generally include a number of remote radio head (RRH) devices that are separated from a baseband unit (BBU). The RRHs may each be installed close to or as part of the antennas, and may implement the radio links with the mobile terminals. The RRHs may communicate with the BBU via a digital baseband signal. The BBU may process the digital baseband signals, which may be carried, by a fronthaul network between the RRHs and the BBUs. The fronthaul network may act to decouple the RRHs from the BBU and may provide flexibility in network planning and deployment, as the RRHs can be placed multiple kilometers (e.g., up to 40 kilometers) from the BBU.
In existing C-RAN architectures, trouble shooting and diagnostic testing of the fronthaul network may involve a technician physically visiting locations in the fronthaul network. For example, the fronthaul network may be implemented using an Ethernet-based optical connection. A technician may travel to nodes in the fronthaul network, manually connect a diagnostic device and analyze signals generated by the diagnostic device. The diagnostic device can include a spectrum and signal analyzer, which may operate to analyze the baseband radio signals that are transmitted through the fronthaul network. The diagnostic device can be relatively expensive. The time required by the technician to travel to the nodes in the fronthaul network can additionally be a source of expense.